Human Swan Breaks Down at Inquiry into Co-Pilot's Fatal Mid-Air Crash
The climate activist famously known as the "human swan" for her paramotoring adventures broke down in tears multiple times while giving evidence at a fatal accident inquiry into a mid-air collision that claimed the life of her co-pilot. The inquiry, being held at Tain Sheriff Court in Scotland, is examining the circumstances surrounding the death of Dan Burton, who died in the Scottish Highlands on 18 September 2021 after colliding with Sacha Dench during a paramotoring expedition.
Emotional Testimony and Expedition Details
On Monday, Ms Dench's testimony was so emotionally charged that the proceedings had to be adjourned to allow her time to compose herself, with an early lunch break also taken for the same reason. She described Mr Burton, from Devon, as "highly experienced – potentially the most experienced expedition pilot I know," having first met him around 2005 or 2006 during her free diving days and starting to fly paramotors together around 2012.
The pair were engaged in the Round Britain Climate Challenge, a 3,000-mile paramotor trip around mainland Britain intended to highlight climate change issues ahead of the Cop26 conference in Glasgow later that year. Originally planned as an eight-week continuous circumnavigation, the expedition was scaled back to "a few segments" due to the limitations of the paramotors' electric motor batteries, which lasted only 30 minutes at a time.
Communication and Crash Circumstances
The inquiry heard that Ms Dench and Mr Burton meticulously planned their flights, agreeing on take-off sites, landing sites, and mid-way stopping points each evening and morning. They communicated in the air via Bluetooth headsets built into their helmets, which connected automatically when within about 800 metres of each other, providing an open channel without the need to press buttons to speak.
Ms Dench stated they would typically chat about scenery, destination points, and any changes in weather conditions. On the day of the crash, they had been planning to land in a field near Ullapool, but both came down in an area that was not the intended landing site. Ms Dench sustained serious injuries in the incident.
Background and Previous Expeditions
Ms Dench, from Australia, earned the nickname "human swan" for her paramotoring adventures, including a previous expedition documented in the BBC's Flight Of The Swans, where she followed swans migrating from Russia to the UK. She and Mr Burton had flown together on that expedition and were also planning a paramotor trip in Africa at the time of his death.
The fatal accident inquiry has previously heard evidence during hearings in May 2025 and January 2026, with proceedings continuing to investigate the tragic mid-air collision that cut short a mission aimed at environmental advocacy.
